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John 10:31-42

The Word of God

The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?" The Jews answered, "It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God." Jesus answered, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, you are gods'? If those to whom the word of God came were called 'gods' - and the scripture cannot be annulled - can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, 'I am God's Son'? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. Many came to him, and they were saying, "John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true." And many believed in him there.

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The Jews hit a blank wall as regards Jesus’ existence. How could a human being make himself out to be God? All of us have to ponder the same reality – God and man in one person. They needed to learn, and be open to divine grace. But they were blocked by the limited knowledge that they had.

The miracles that Jesus was working showed that there was something special about him. They were what the Father had given him to do. They were an indication of a mysterious relationship – that the Father is in him and he is in the Father. This knowledge called for wonder and astonishment. Aren’t we all quick to reject and slow to learn?

Jesus can say that he and the Father are one, and yet they are different. “The Father is greater than I” (John 14:28).

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Jesus often impresses upon us the need to act upon his word. One can argue with words, but deeds cannot be contradicted. They speak for themselves. The Word is planted deep in me, and I pray in the words of the Apostle James, “Let me be a doer of the word, and not a forgetful hearer.” The world watches the deeds of Christians, and is often not impressed.

The people in today’s reading condemn Jesus because of their particular image of God. What is my image of God? The best image is to see God as Pure Love. Have I ever condemned someone because I nursed a warped image of God?

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The works of Jesus are the works of love. This is the love we know of him – love unto death. What we see in Jesus, we can see of the Father. What the Father sees in Jesus, he sees and loves in us. We pray that our hearts may be made like the heart of Jesus.

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Jesus, you try yet again to convince the Jews that you are God’s Son. You appeal to the good works you have done, then to Scripture. But nothing helps. Do you sometimes have a hard time trying to break open my heart too? Help me!

Jesus, when you were again rejected, did you feel like giving up? Or did you then begin to plan a new revelation of your love? Instead of escaping from your enemies yet again you would allow them to catch and kill you. But you would do this in such a way that people would see that your love is indeed limitless.

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/If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. / Love is
shown not so much in words as in deeds. We are bombarded with words, by
advertisers, politicians, media and every sort of preacher. To each of these,
as to myself, I say: If your works do not square with your words, then I will
not believe you.

Show me, Lord, where my life falls short of what I profess.
/Close the bible up and show me how
The Christ you talk about is living now. /

Some thoughts on today's scripture

Active

Default

/If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. / Love is
shown not so much in words as in deeds. We are bombarded with words, by
advertisers, politicians, media and every sort of preacher. To each of these,
as to myself, I say: If your works do not square with your words, then I will
not believe you.

Show me, Lord, where my life falls short of what I profess.
/Close the bible up and show me how
The Christ you talk about is living now. /